Mercury Scout will take advantage of the solar sail idea as its main propulsion once it has reached Earth orbit. The main objectives for the mission are to map out the mineral distribution on the ...
More than four months after launching to space, a solar-sailing spacecraft has successfully spread its wings above our planet. NASA's Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) caught a ride to ...
The satellite is the space agency's first attempt at utilizing solar sails in low-Earth orbit, and may mark a huge step towards achievable interstellar travel. NanoSail-D will be NASA's first ...